Former NFL running back Warrick Dunn surprised a single mother and her daughter with their first home. As reported by WAFB, this week Dunn’s charity, Warrick Dunn Charities, teamed up with Habitat for Humanity and Catholic High School to build a house for mother-daughter duo Dominique and Miracle in Dunn’s hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He also helped furnish and decorate the home for them to move in.
The New Orleans native credited his former high school with raising almost $100,000 for the costs of building the home. Current students at Catholic High School also stepped in to get volunteer hours by helping with the construction.
“Dominique and Miracle, single mother, first-time homeowner, I think it’s important to help change the community and the environment, create stability for a family that could potentially have good long-term positive impacts,” Dunn said.
Dunn’s Warrick Dunn Charities has helped build 218 homes to date.
The non-profit finds single parents across America and helps support them in moving into their first home. The charity systemically partners with different local organizations to continue supporting single parents as they move into their first home by furnishing the space, assisting with down payments, and even providing them with food for their pantry. By reducing financial and stress burdens on single parents, Dunn has been able to assist hundreds of families in taking the next step in their life journey.
Dunn founded his charity after being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 1997. With his grown net worth, he began what was then known as Homes for the Holidays in honor of his late mother’s dream of owning a home of her own before she passed away.
Dunn personally meets many of the families that his charity provides homes, too, all while expanding his charity to include several other financial stability, health and wellness, and literacy-based programs. Their website bolsters having given over $1 million in downpayment assistance and that nearly 100% of families that they help remain in their new homes without issue.
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